.alpha.-substituted aminoacetonitrile derivatives are usually prepared via 3steps: aminoacetonitrile, prepared by the reaction of hydrogen cyanide with formaldehyde, followed by treatment with excess of ammonia, is acylated for the protection of amino group, and then halogenated to give .alpha.-halo-acylaminoacetonitrile which is allowed to react with nucleophiles such as alcohol, thiol or amine to give an aimed compound. However, .alpha.-substituted aminoacetonitrile is not obtained by this method because hydrolysis of .alpha.-substituted acylaminoacetonitrile may be difficult.
The purpose of this invention is to provide new and stable aminoacetonitrile derivatives and their salts which can be used as starting materials for various types of organic compounds, and furthermore their inexpensive synthetic methods.